Angelina to Kids: Global Education is Under Threat

Entertainment Tonight, Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 1:37pm (PDT)

By ETonline

• Angelina Jolie is speaking out against a Taliban attack in Pakistan that critically wounded a 14-year-old girl who had stood up for equal education for girls and says she was compelled to discuss the incident with her own children to help them understand the threat to education in some parts of the world.

  In an opinion piece written for The Daily Beast, Jolie writes about sharing the tragic case of Malala Yousafzai with her children. "It was difficult for them to comprehend a world where men would try to kill a child whose only 'crime' was the desire that she and others like her be allowed to go to school." Malala is still recovering from serious injuries after being shot in the head and neck in the Oct. 9 attack by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus.

  The 37-year-old star said that her eight-year-old suggested that the world build a statue for Malala, while her six-year-old asked the practical question of whether Malala had any pets, and if so, wondered who would take care of them? "She also asked about Malala's parents and if they were crying. We decided that they were, but not only for their daughter, also for children around the world denied this basic human right."

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  "Still trying to understand, my children asked, 'Why did those men think they needed to kill Malala?'" Jolie writes. "I answered, 'because an education is a powerful thing.'"

  Jolie concludes, "As girls across Pakistan stand up to say "I am Malala," they do not stand alone. Mothers and teachers around the world are telling their children and students about Malala, and encouraging them to be a part of her movement for girls' education."

  The actress urges people to join her and Tina Brown by donating to the Women in the World Foundation -- which seeks to provide funds to women and girls fighting for girls' education in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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